Where Flowers Grow
by Galistar Midnight
Summary: Damian & the family get a shock when they find a young girl covered in blood in a room with a dead body. Soon she becomes Damian assignment: watch over her, get information. Through trials & errors. Follow the story of two kids, from different backgrounds growing an unlikely bond, learning from one another, depending on each other and meeting in the middle.
1. Skin and Bones

**Read and Review**

* * *

I used to dream about the heros of stories

As life became an endless night

When hope was gone you resurrected my spirit

Brought me from darkness into light

I can sense a storm is coming

Anchoring you to me

\- Beth Crowley "Skin and Bones"

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 **Friday January 20, 2012**

 **Gotham City, NJ.**

 **Almont Building, Diamond District**

 **1:24 am**

The city passed by him like a blur, he remembered when he had first came to the city, How bright it had looked from above and how different it actually was when he had touched down. Meeting his father, a man that even his mother and grandfather respected. How different he learned his father was before he met him. Meeting Alfred who would take the role of what was basically another grandfather. Leaning that he technically had 4 older siblings. Three brothers and 1 sister. He had a 2nd cousin in Kate as well. Immediately he rejected them. Wanted nothing to do with them but as he would come to learn through his father as well as Dick, whether he wanted it or not they were his family.

Through his time in the Wayne family he learned multiple things. He learned about love. Not the kind his mother claimed she had for him. True familial love. The kind his mother side of the family rejected and replaced with discipline. The kind where family was everything, no matter how annoying, how intrusive, or how much he claimed he hated them.

The first thing Damian learned when he first took the mantle of Robin was to _always listen to Batman._ The lesson instilled in him by Dick while he was serving as Batman while his father was away. _Always listen to Batman. What Batman says goes. Always report to Batman._ The second thing he learned was _absolutely no killing, under any circumstances. No lethal hits. You knock them out or capture._ As an trained assassin learning to how to restrain himself in the beginning was difficult but after 3 years it was like second nature.

All the training instilled in him by his mother's side of the family had to be replaced. He had to change the way he would swing his katana without the intention to kill, often leading him to using the pommel of his katana. He assumed he would be using it lot tonight. This was only his 4th outing as Robin since the year started, his father taking him out less since he had been enrolled in school the past September. Even though he claimed he did _not_ need it.

"-alright Robin" he heard Dick from the passenger seat. _Damn_ he wasn't paying attention.

He agreed anyway "Understood".

"You're okay with staying out here and keeping watch?" He immediately sat up and looked towards his elder brother who had a smug look on his face.

"What?" he demanded

"So you weren't paying attention?" his father asked "What do we always talk about Robin"

"Focus, I know"

"So get focused"

He looked towards his left and saw Tim smirking and Cassandra smiling. Rolling his eyes he looked out of the window of the Batmobile looking at the city again. He could hear the engines of Jason and Stephanie motorcycles following them from behind, suddenly begin lost in silence. Meaning the were close to their target. A few blocks later and the car stopped and everyone got out. They were still a few blocks away from the actual building.

Immediately Batman began giving out orders "While your in there scout out for any clues they might have left behind, report anything that seems suspicious. Nightwing, you get the top 3 floors. Hood you get the first 3 floors stun bullets only... got it"

"Yeah yeah yeah I remember" Jason cocked his guns "Once they go off, the noise is gonna alert the rest of the building you know that right"

"Which is why your gonna wait until the rest of us are already inside. Spoiler you take floors 4 and 5". She brought out the handle of her collapsible bo staff and nodded. Orphan you take out floors 9, 10 and 11. Red Robin and I will go handle floors 6, 7 and 8. Understood?"

There was a collective agreements of "got it" "yeah". Everyone began either scaling the buildings above. Dick being the quickest to reach the top and begin jumping across the rooftops till he made it to one of the buildings fire escapes and into a window.

"What about me?" Damian asked

Batman tuned to him "You'll be down here with Jason, your gonna check the basement".

He tried not to frown. Even if he didn't he know his father could tell he was not happy with the orders he had be given. "Next time. Pay attention". _Punishment for not paying attention. Great._ He was going to be looking into a basement while everyone else actually did the important stuff. He did not like being treated like some child.

"Don't look so down Baby Bat, this is nothing compared to what he would have done before" in a condescending tone. Glaring at his brother he slowly began walking away.

 _Tch_ "Just do your job Hood, I'm going to go through the back. See if I can find a window or something". He unsheathed his sword. In case of a coming attack and as he walked to the side of the building he came into contact with 5 people. _Drug dealers, murders, human traffickers, rapist._ The amount of inhumane things they could have possibly done throughout their lifetime, he didn't even wanna think about it. He gripped the hilt of his katana, pulled his hood over his head and disappeared into the dark.

" _Ok guys, things are about to get loud. Hope your in position"_ Damians comm rang in his right ear. Then suddenly he heard a barrage of gunfire. The men quickly raised their guns alerted that they were there.

Damian dropped a smoke bomb and touched the side of his green mask, changing the setting to allow him to see through the smoke. He was able to knock out the men with the hilt of his sword. The smoke settled as he began looking for any entrances, how easy enough that was the was a door leading downstairs. He tested the door knob to see if was unlocked. He sighed and rolled his eyes _complete and utter_ _amateurs._ Even so, he still took caution in entering the building. The first thing he noticed was that it was empty and colder inside than it was outside. Then he began looking for any bombs of some sort.

 _These fools would always place a stupid bomb to blow up their evidence_

Then he kept hearing in his right ear.

" _Last 3 floors are clear". Nightwing._

" _I cleared out.". Hood._

" _Clear". Orphan._

" _I'm done". Spoiler._

" _Rendezvous at the 8th floor". Batman._

" _Robin, come in"_ He heard Nightwing.

" _Not done" he replied._

He checked each room.

 _Empty._

 _Empty._

 _Empty._

 _Tch. Empty._

He clenched his teeth and looked at the final door.

He reached his ear piece " _Last door and I'm on my way"._

He reached for the door.

* * *

The first thing she remembered was hearing what sounded like pops and the cold air feeling enveloping her body. Her eyes opening slowly, her vision coming together. Her head was pounding. _Where …..where am I?_ All she could make out was a mattress in the corner of the room, no windows. She reached over to rub her head only to realize her hands were tied and had some hard substance on them like hardened paint. Then that god awful scent filled her nose, the smell made her want to vomit. She felt something cold and metal near her body. _A_ _knife?_

She took the knife and began cutting away at the rope that tied her hands. _What am I doing her?_ She questioned. _Think…..think…..think…..why can't I remember._ Her face began heating up and tears began swelling in her eyes. Another thing she realized as she sat up was that her entire body hurt. As if it were on fire.

 _What am I doing her? How long?_

 _Why am I here? Whats going on?_

She shut her eyes trying to recall anything. _Please…..anything ...anything at all?_ She began hyperventilating as she cut the rope that tied her feet. She stood up. Her legs numb and shaking, she took a step and winced in pain. Another step and she managed to trip over something. She looked over and saw a body, her eyes widened and she took a deep breath.

She screamed to the top of her lungs. Threw the knife on the floor in a panic and began moving the the back of the room. Then she heard a loud bang as the door flew open a boy dressed in green, red and yellow with a sword in his hands. She had backed into the corner of the room screaming, crying into her knees.

* * *

The second Damian opened the door his ears were met with a high pitched murderous scream. _Female. Young_. He jiggled the door handle and then he took a step back and kicked the door open and turned on the lights. The first thing he saw was a screaming girl, pushing back against the wall. Her cries could fill the building, he was convinced Batman and the others could hear her.

"I didn't do it. It wasn't me. No No No. I didn't do this." She screamed and cried. Then he looked down and saw a body as well as a dried puddle of blood. _Shit._ The girl was cowering in the back of the room screaming.

" _You all need to come down here"_ he echoed into his comm. He hoped he could be heard over her screaming. He got a mix of replies.

" _What the hell is that"_

 _"What happened?"_

" _What's going on Robin""_

Aggravated at the questioned he shouted " _JUST. GET. DOWN HERE_ "

He put his katana away and approached the girl who had been hysterically crying. Dick had once taught him how to handle these situations and had dealt with them accordingly. _Don't scare them. Assure them. Believe them. Relax them. Help them._

He bent down on one knee. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you". The girl looked at him dead in the face. He got a look at some of her features Brown hair, blue green eyes- now surrounded by red with all her crying, and covered in what was obvious to him to be dried blood.

She gripped his wrists and spoke in a raspy panicked voice "It wasn't me. I didn't do it. You have to believe me. _Please_ , you have to believe me" her voice cracking.

She looked about his age, she wore a blue long sleeved shirt with a Superman "S" stained with what he guessed was blood, dark jeans also stained with blood. She had reached over and buried her face in his neck. He had felt her skin, she was freezing. She would give that fool Mr. Freeze a run for his money. He removed his cape and pulled it over her, hoping the thermal system would warm her. He turned the other way so that he was facing the door and the body instead of her but not even that was not enough to stop her cries.

He heard his name being called from the hallway outside the door.

"Robin!". _Nightwing._

"Where are you!". _Spoiler._

"Baby Bat!" _Hood._

 _Just follow the screaming morons._

He saw Spoiler first, her blond hair covered by her purple hood. Immediately she let out a giant gasp covering her mouth. Cassandra followed, the same motion with no sound.

Jason followed behind them with a "Holy shit"

Nightwing appeared last " Oh my God". Nightwing looked at the body. Then looked at him and the girl in the back of the room sobbing onto his shoulder.

"Spoiler start dialing GCPD".

"But Nightwing-" she began

"NOW". He reached for his comm "Batman, Red Robin. You need to get down here. Now"

* * *

Nightwing ended up carrying her out of the room after Batman and Red Robin came in and he demanded an explanation and no one could give him one. The only thing that was there was a little girl covered in dried blood, a knife, and a dead girl though, she might have came to her own conclusion. He could already imagine the amount of counseling and therapy she was going to have to go through. Then they heard the police sirens coming closer.

"Robin stay. The rest of you, return home." his father ordered. The others didn't object, Batman was serious. This was a crime scene and the only suspect was a little girl. Nightwing passed her over towards Batman and she was still crying. They made their way upstairs past the many unconscious bodies to the outside where Commissioner Gordon was waiting with his men. Damian didn't know much about him, but he did have a respect for him. Anyone that would stick around for Gotham willingly deserved even that much, even though he would never admit it.

"Batman. Robin." The Commissioner greeted them with a curt nod. "Who's this?"

The girl was still awake, at this point she had stopped crying and she had been staring off into space, definitely due to shock.

"A young girl, looks about 10 to 12 years old. Robin found her alone in a room, in the basement with a dead body. She's malnourished." His father explained.

Commissioner Gordon took in a deep breath while looking at the girl. He brought out his radio "Medical team, you're needed".

 _"Roger that sir. we're on our way"_

"Okay Bats, lead the way"

His father turned to him "Can you hold her?"

He almost felt insulted "Of course I can" He held out his arms where she was placed.

 _She is definitely malnourished._ It felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks. B _ut how is she still functional or even alive for that matter._ He figured they just hadn't fed her, which wouldn't be out of the ordinary. He felt a breeze go by and resisted the urge to make a sound insinuating he was slightly cold even with his suit on. The girl didn't even flinch due to his cape also having a heater. Clearly she was looking at him, he resisting the urge to look at her as well. Then she spoke.

"Um...excuse me?". He still wasn't looking at her. "Are you ...cold?"

He voice was quiet. Frankly he's surprised he heard her at all.

"What?" His eyes snapped towards her. _S_ _o much for not looking_

 _"_ I...I felt you... shiver. Do you want your cloak thingy back?" She asked pulling the hood from her head.

 _Shes crazy._ "You need it more than I do" he replied.

"So...you are cold?"

"I am not cold" he gritted through his teeth. _Don't yell at the traumatized girl._ "Do you have a name?"

"I...don't remember it"

 _Damn it. Amnesia._

"Do you have a name?"

"Robin"

" Okay...I'd like to ...stand please" she was gripping her elbows

"Very well" he put her down, she stumbled nearly dropping to her knees but he steadied her. She was about 2 inches taller than him, he also got a look of the T-shirt she was wearing. _Superman symbol covered in blood. Ironic._ She then put her hand up, looking at her palms, her hands shaking from shock or the cold he couldn't tell. What he did know that she was going to need months ...maybe even years of therapy. Her eyes began watering, her face turned red and she began taking deep breaths.

"My hands...this is.." she let out a raggedy breath " this is ...dried..blood". Just in that moment Batman, the Commissioner and the GCPD Medical Team came out, a woman came towards him and the girl.

" Excuse me sweetie, could you do me a big favor?" she opened up a plastic zip lock bag "Can you just rub your hands together over this bag please?"

 _DNA samples._

 _"_ O-okay" the dried blood fell from her hands and into the bag. She then looked up at the lady and said "Miss...um ...where am I staying tonight?".

Damian saw the look of heartbreak on the woman's face "I don't know sweetheart but I promise you, you will be sleeping in a bed tonight".

"Are we doing okay?" the Commissioner asked her.

The girl nodded "My neck hurts" she reached to rub it, then her eyes widened and she began to feel all around her neck " I have a necklace". She began to work the chain from the back of her neck. She took it off to reveal a gold chain, with a single word on it with cursive writing.

 _Eliana._

"Eliana. That's a beautiful name" Gordon said.

" _Tu nombre es Eliana?_ " the woman questioned to herself.

"S _i"_ the girl, now identified as Eliana. Her eyes widened, wondering how she knew how to reply. She spoke with an accent, meaning there was a probability of her being fluent _._

"Commissioner, keep me posted on any updates it's time for us to go. Let's go Robin" his father said as he began to walk away from the scene.

"Have a good night Commissioner" he stated and began walking towards his father until he felt a force grab him. Eliana had wrapped her arms from behind him.

"Thank you...so much ..for saving me" she sobbed. His father stopped to look back and Damian could see a slight smile on the mans face.

He didn't really know how to reply, he would get a thank you every once and a while. Things like stopping a mugging or something but never so physical. Her arms fell away from him and he proceeded to keep walking towards his father till once again she grabbed him.

"Wait...your cloak thingy".

He took in a deep breath "It's a cape...and I told you before I wasn't cold".

"Yeah ...right...right" she nodded.

Then he and his father disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

"My name is Eliana" she smiled a bit _._ She wrapped the cape around herself tightly and thought gleeful about her name.

 _Eliana._

 _Eliana._

 _Eiliana._

She was Eliana and for now ...she was content with that.

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 **AND THATS THE CHAPTER. WHEW.** **Read and Review.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this journey of the Eliana and the Batfamily more specifically Damian. I cant wait to flesh out and develop her character plus tell you guys about her history. .**


	2. Signs

**R &R**

 **It told me to follow these scars**

 **Before I'd be crushed by the weight of the world**

 **Can you remember it? The sky of tears...**

 **That pain has given you protection**

 **Because this pain will always protect you**

 **Flow "Signs"**

* * *

 **Wednesday February 8, 2012**

 **Gotham City, NJ**

 **GCPD**

 **9:52 p.m**

With the following days of her discovery Eliana knew she was going to go through a long process. It was two weeks of investigations. Two weeks of pure tests, questioning, recovery. First it was tests, medical test. X-rays, check ups, blood tests and everything else in between. According to her bone structure she was about 11 or 12 years old and apparently she still hasn't hit puberty because her "hips haven't grown yet" whatever that meant. Plus Jim and the Doctor looked relieved when she showed him a clipboard about her X-rays, so she guessed she was okay.

On the outside though she had scars, so many scars. Not just little scars you get when you fall and trip she had long scars. The kind that were going to be there forever. Then it was physical recovery. Walking, Running, Eating, Exercising. She managed to learn that she was pretty flexible, she could do a number of flips of course she nearly gave her trainer a heart attack when she attempted to do these things.

The Commissioner or "Jim" as he let her call him really wanted her to get back to physical normal. The truth was she was okay, physically and internally. She ate well, she ran well, she could function like a normal ….whatever age she was. They even had her do an assessment to see what grade level she could work, turns out she averaged around a 6th grader pegging her about 11 or 12 years old. The point was she functioned like a normal kid. The thing was, she just couldn't sleep.

Eventually she would sleep at night, slip into the dark but she would often just lay there. Trying to figure out anything from her past but she would just end up thinking about the night Robin found her. She would have strokes of nervousness over thinking about it, painful nervousness. She didn't tell anyone though. This week she was starting another therapy, the kind where you talk it out apparently is "good for you". Other days she cried a lot. Wondering why, _why_ _me? What did I do?_ Other days she accepted that she might be a cold killer. _Accept it now Eliana and it'll be easier when it's discovered you actually did it._ Other days she was confident that the GCPD was going to find any information on her, a mother, a father, a sibling, a last name.

She didn't know about any plans after this process was over. _Orphanage maybe. School too then._ She sat in the questioning room that was silently driving her insane. Looking at that stupid one way glass again, her reflection staring back, she saw a tanned girl with loose curls and green eyes ringed with blue.

"Ugh" her head fell onto the table and sighed.

"Getting tired of the questions aren't you Eli" Jim asked her files in his hands.

"Yes" she sighed "I've given all the information I know and what I know is nothing. There's only me and that's not enough"

"I know I know but we're almost done" he assured her.

"Finally" she sighed "But what happens to me when we're done, I don't have any family"

"Well we don't know that for sure" Jim reasoned

" _Por favor_ , it's been like two and a half weeks and the only thing we've learned is my name and I speak Spanish. Let's face it, I'm going to an orphanage". She began intermixing both languages into her speech the more she spoke, it was probably something she used to be before.

"My guys are still looking into it and outside resources as well" Jim smiled " Come on Eli don't give up yet"

She lifted her head "Can you tell me if I did it then? Is there anything ...saying I didn't do it? Or that I did?" She began to tear up "because I don't know if you know this but I can't sleep at night not knowing if I did or didn't kill that man"

He took out some files "According to the test results and the examinations it's 100% proven, that you did not kill that man". She let out a ragged breath.

"Okay …...what about the blood on my own hands?" she began playing with her own hands. It had became a habit since that night.

"It wasn't his"

"Well then who's was it?"

"According the tests…. apparently it's yours" he said

"Mine?" she questioned "...I can live with that" she semi-smiled

" That doesn't make sense though. When Robin found you, you didn't have any wounds that would have been big enough to have your hands covered in blood"

"I mean, I've got a lot of scars look" she rolled her left sleeve up revealing a cut from her elbow to her wrist "That's a pretty wicked scar, kinda glad I don't remember that pain" She looked at the scar solemnly, _that thing is always going to be there_.

"That wound was healed when you were found, 'fraid that's not it El" he locked his fingers together.

She raised her right leg to the table with ease and rolled her pants up "Well how about this one?" she revealed another scar that went from her knee to her ankle"Or how about the one on my back, hey you know I have one on the back of my thigh too? I've got these scars on my body and I don't know how they got there, but they're there and they're going to be there till forever. _Siempre_. So trust and believe I'm actually glad that blood on my hands was mine".

"I know your putting on the bravest face you can, and I know you feel like your being crushed by the weight of the world. You've been through so much and you don't even know what-"

"I have the scars to tell me that"

"The point is, you're being incredibly strong in an impossible situation. You know you remind me of a boy I once knew-"

"Jeez am I that ugly?" she rolled her eyes

"Not what I meant. He was in an impossible situation when he was young, lots his parents in front of him with no idea who did it. He was a bit younger than you and he went through so much and you know what happened?" he whispered and leaned forward

"He ….got revenge? I don't know" she shrugged her shoulders

"He overcame it" he told her

Eliana looked down at her hands and balled them into fists "So where is this boy now and where can I find him to teach me his ways" she chuckled.

"Well I wouldn't call him a "boy" anymore per say, he's grown into a man now. He has family and he's one of the most successful people in the city ...and the country" it was clear to Eliana he sounded like he spoke with a certain proudness in his voice.

"Wow, he got married, had a family and became successful. I want to level up in life like that" she stated.

"I never said he got married" he smiled

"But you said he had a family" she raised an eyebrow

"You don't need to be married to have a family"

"...Do you have a wife?" she questioned

"I had one but now it's just me and my daughter Barbara, I've told you about her". Eliana had spent the last 2 and a half weeks sleeping in Barbara's bed, she had seen pictures of her and Jim.

"So …..where is she? I would very much like to meet her" she smiled

"She's actually coming to visit me after coming back from a trip in California, should should be here any minute" he looked at his watch

She put her hands against her cheeks " I can't wait to meet her. It's really nice of her to let me sleep in her bed while she was gone"

"I told her all about you, and she can't wait to meet you" he assured her

"' _All ..._ about me'" she said to herself "Right" she nodded. Her stomach then began feeling weird, a mix of guilt and sickness. This wasn't the first time she felt like this; it was basically a daily occurrence. She could be having a normal conversation with Jim, she could be smiling or eating and thoughts would then plague her; take over. She drew in a deep breath, breathed it out. _Repeat 5 times._

"So ...what are we still doing here?" she looked around at the room. _Same chairs, same lights, same table, same stupid reflection._ She stared at her reflection taking in her own details again and then she began to feel very uncomfortable as if she were being watched.

Jim stood up "come on" he began opening the door to walk out "time for you to meet Babs, I have business to handle"

"Bat related business?" she inquired. He stared at her while she merely shrugged her shoulders. "I mean ….I heard the way you guys spoke ….I assume you're well acquainted with ...him - _them._ Come on ...I'm 12 not stupid"

"Maybe...12" he reminded her. She puffed her breath at him and crossed her arms against her chest. They began walking through the department, many faces she had began to recognize and many that already knew of her. They were making their way towards Jim's office where there was a girl with messy wavy red hair that was tied up in a bun and piercing green eyes and was quite tall for a girl. She wore a green zip up hoodie and a pair of converse with blue jeans.

"Dad" she greeted him with an open hug and bright smile.

"Arggg, I missed you so much"

"I missed you too" she looked over his shoulder to Eliana, who was kept her distance and gave a small ….seemingly awkward smile. "And I've heard lots about you too kiddo" she began walking towards Eliana and instead of hugging her she bend down to eye level "So….how's my bed?" she asked humorously.

Eliana let out a small chuckle, instantly feeling a sense of ease come over her "It's comfy, thank you"

"Ahhh no worries. _Mi casa es su casa"_

" _Gracias"_ she smiled

"Listen uh Babs, I'd love to stay and catch up but I gotta go talk to our esteemed guest. You mind watching over Eli here?" Jim asked

She gave an understanding nod "Of course dad, besides this gives me and Eli some time to be able to get to know each other". She sat in her fathers chain and pulled another one up, Eliana clearly understood what she meant so she went to go sit as Jim was walking out and closed the door behind him.

With just the two of them in the room, they began to talk about random things? The basic questions were first? Eliana had learned that Barbara was only 23 years old which was amazing because she looked so young….. _well she is still young._ Barbra spoke about her trip in California, how she had gone on a hiking trip and gotten injured.

She pulled down her sweater revealing her shoulder "Now this" she revealed her scar that looked to be fresh "This is one mean scar, definitely gonna be hard to hide that" she chuckled.

"Woa that's gonna be there a long time…...did it hurt when you got it?"

"Course it did, but I couldn't just stop. I had to keep hiking but...I made sure it wasn't you know ….deadly and now that day will always be with me. "

"I got a scar too" Eliana lifted her right leg revealing the scar that ran from her knee to her ankle. "And this one too" she rolled up her left sleeve showing the one that ran from her elbow to her wrist. "I can't say if they hurt or not since I don't remember but…...they're mine and actually to be honest they look like they hurt. I also got a few in some other places. I'm a bit jealous you got yours exploring and hiking in California. New experiences y'know "

Barbara nodded her head with her hands in her pockets "Remember Els….it doesn't matter how small ...or how large, they'll always hurt...even if they don't in moment. At one point they did."

"Yeah, I guess. I just….have nothing. I'm a blank slate until a few weeks ago. These scars won't do anything for me except ...just be there. No memories or feelings, they're basically here for no reason." she pouted her lips.

 _Definitely a kid_ Barbara thought to herself. "Listen ...it might seem that way now, but I promise you, those scars are gonna do you some good one day. Whether it be your memories returning or anything else" Barbara said, Eliana nodded her head unsure.

" Your scars…..when your memories return. The memories of those scars come with it and I guarantee you, your scars are going to protect you"

"'Protect me'?"

"Yeah, when you get a wound and the pain is so severe your body builds endurance. So the next time you get a wound it won't hurt as much. Plus, you never get an exact scar on the exact same place again. One day…. your pain will protect you"

"My pain will protect me?"

Barbara nodded "And remember It's okay to be embarrassed of your scars, but try not to feel ashamed of them. They're your signs of survival, they're apart of you and when you remember how you got them never forget that".

* * *

 **Thats all for now ...read and review**

 **To be honest I wasn't planning on introducing Barbara this early but ..the way things worked out ...yeah hahah. I would love feedback.**


	3. All I Know

_Who can say what tomorrow holds_

 _Where I'll end up if I take this road_

 _People come and people go_

\- Beth Crowley "All I Know"

 **Gotham NJ**

 **Thursday July 15, 2010**

 **Wayne Manor**

When Damian first arrived at his father's doorstep at the ripe age of 8 he had to admit to himself he was impressed by the large manor his father lived in. It was in the outskirts of Gotham, the building surrounded by a large gate that he later learned the hard way was actually electric. They were greeted at the door by an older man with gray hair in a suit.

"Welcome back Master Wayne" he had a British accent "and...this is?" obviously referring to him. Before he could answer his father cut him off.

"This is our newest guest" he put a hand on Damian's shoulder

The man looked back and forth between them. "Right and how long would this guest of ours be staying?"

"Indefinitely" his father answered and to be fair Damian didn't actually know how long he was staying. All his mother said was that he was going to be staying with his father for the time being.

"And may I ask about why there is a sword strapped to the young man's back?"

"It's a katana" he corrected eyes trained on the older man.

"It's a ….long story" his father stated.

"Then please due make it short" the man said.

His father sighed "Damian this is Alfred. Alfred this is Damian…...my son" his father gesture between them. The man's eyes widened clearly surprised at the revelation.

Damian raised his eyebrow "You only have one butler?"

"Alfred is family" was all his father said.

"Son?" the man asked, confused "As in …..shared DNA?" his father nodded "And the boys mother?".

"His mother is Talia".

The butler looked like he was taking in the information took a deep breath. "Are you absolutely sure about this".

"Are you suggesting my mother is a liar?" Damian asked, eyes glaring at the man.

"Perhaps I am? I'm just concerned as this would not be the first time this has happened. A mother accusing Master Bruce of being the father without logical basis."

"He looks like me when I was a child. Only difference is he has green eyes and a darker skin tone. Other than that, the rest is all me" Bruce said.

"I agree Master Bruce…...but I do believe a test is worth the option" Alfred suggested.

"Very well. Damian …..follow me" he stated as his father walked away right hand in his pocket. Just as they were going to go their separate ways there was a large crash from upstairs followed by shouting.

A boys voice filled the house "ALFRED….TELL JASON TO STOP GOING INTO MY ROOM" _._

Followed by a different voice "WELL TELL DICK TO STOP TAKING MY STUFF" _._ There was loud noise followed by shouting.

"WHY WOULD I HAVE YOUR GAME. IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU MISPLACE YOUR STUFF".

"TELL DICK TO GET OFF ME"

" TELL JAY TO STOP GOING INTO MY ROOM"

Suddenly they he heard them gasp with a sound of pain. "That's gonna bruise for a week" one of them groaned. Suddenly a little girl came down the stairs without making a sound. She looked of Asian heritage, she was barefoot, had straight shoulder length black hair and she wore a light black tunic and blue jeans. She was possibly only a few inches taller than Damian himself.

She stood in front of the butler and spoke a word with a small smile "Stop".

"Thank you, Mistress Cassandra"

The girl looked towards Bruce with a smile "Home" clearly a statement and took a step towards his father when she stopped and looked at him, and her eyes furrowed and landed on his katana. To Damian's surprise she took a fighting stance a very _proper_ fighting stance "Who?" she questioned.

His father bent down on one knee to get to eye left with her "Calm down Cassandra...this is our newest guest….this is Damian". She was still in her fighting position and didn't look ready to back down. Damian rolled his eyes at the girl before him, as if she could take him with her novice training she did at some dojo in Gotham. However as he rolled his eyes, they caught something in the corner. At the corner of his sight the long decorative cream colored and red carpeted hallway there were pictures hanging from the wall with a bigger picture in the middle.

There were a total of 10 portraits. Damian walked towards the hallway, eyeing the names under each picture. _Martha Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Bruce Thomas Wayne_ his father looked about his age in that photo, followed by a picture of the three of them in one picture. His father was sitting in what he would obviously guess was his mother's lap with his father- his on the right of her. He continued to follow the names, _Alfred Pennyworth,_ the butler he had just met. _Richard John Grayson_ a young boy with jet black hair and bright blue eyes and a wide smile. _Jason Peter Todd_ another boy with jet black hair and blue eyes and a side smile.

Though they had similar features, even without having the last names there Damian could tell they did not share the same parents. He continued on to the next name _Timothy Jackson Drake_ another one with black hair and blue eyes shyly smiling at the camera, he looked rather young in this photo. Finally a picture of the girl who just stood before him. _Cassandra Cain_ the young girl had black short hair and brown eyes and half a smile. Damian looked up reading the name _The Wayne Family_ beneath a portrait of the five names he just read in his head plus his father.

They had smiles on their faces and they all wore the same red sweater and black pants combination; including the girl Cassandra. Damian was confounded by the pictures before him. His mother never mentioned he had other siblings.

"Mother didn't mention anything about siblings. Didn't expect you to be be so busy".Bruce clearly aware of what Damian was implying, rolled his eyes and took in a breath.

"Would you like to meet them? You've already met Cassandra"

"...Very well" he replied curtly

"BOYS…" he raised his voice.

There was a rush of footsteps coming down the stairs. Alfred was met with a chorus of greetings. Three boys; two who looked to be a bit older and one a bit younger who was stuck to his tablet. "So Bruce how was your "business meeting" we know definitely wasn't a business meeting?" the taller one asked. From the pictures Damian saw he could identify him as Richard. He ruffled Cassandra's hair telling her "next time try to hold back ...okay", the girl replied with a nod.

The younger one looked up from his tablet, a smug look on his face "Done" he said "Here ya go" he walked over to the man and gave him the tablet. This one was Timothy. The boy tilted to the side, and spotted him his eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Thanks Tim" Bruce ruffled the boys hair " I can always count on you for the job". _Job?_

"We're not kid's y'know, you can tell us where you're going…..we'll Timmy and Cass are but I'm not" this one was Jason

"You know I'm older than you right?" Richard bantered.

"By three years, and I'm two years older than Tim and Cass"

"Uh….Bruce ...why is there a kid behind you" Tim asked. Jason and Richard looked behind him.

Jason groaned "Seriously Bruce….. another one?"

 **Saturday, February 18 2012**

 **Gotham, NJ**

 **Wayne Manor**

 **9:30 a.m**

Damian stood before the large portrait, dressed in a black jacket a blue jeans on hands fold, hands in his pocket. _The Wayne Family_. His thoughts about them then changed over the course of the years. He heard footsteps coming down the hallway, light as they were and turned to look at his father on his tablet swiping at the screen.

"Hello Father" he greeted

"Morning Damian, I thought you would be training by now" his father put the tablet underneath his arm. He stood tall in black button up shirt and beige pants, hair swooped back slightly wet as if he'd just came from a shower.

"Grayson suggested I 'take a break' as overworking myself at this age could 'cause severe damage'" he added air quotes around the things his brother claimed. Richard always looked out for him the most and if Damian was being honest during that time his father went missing Richard stepped up and took care of him he didn't hate it. Rather he felt it was a time of self discovery, he atoned for many things he had previously done, he even managed to make a friend in Maya Ducard who would stop and visit him every once and awhile. Should she keep to her schedule she would be showing up in few weeks time.

"He has a point. A boy your age should be playing with friends, focusing on school-" his father walked the halls.

"Grayson, Drake and Todd were able to remain active on duty without problem. What's so different me being Robin" Damian rolled his eyes "I know everything there is to know and more. I am far beyond my years and far beyond those …...children". He detested being compared to those beneath him.

His father opened the door to his office and made his way to his desk and took a seat. "And that is the reason I sent you to school. Besides Dick Jason and Tim all went to school too even if Jason never got to finish, did you know he loved going to school more than either of them? He would never admit it though, but I could always tell."

Damian sat quiet in the chair, uninterested in what his father was replying to him. Bruce sighed and took a breath.

"It gave them an opportunity to make friends and be surrounded by those their age. They even made friends in the field." his father said.

"I do have friends in the field, two in fact. Jon and Maya" Damian argued "though I suppose that's extended to Jon's blonde friend".

Bruce sighed "If you don't know her name, she's not your friend."

"Beacon."

"Her _real_ name."

Damian gave a puff "It's not like everyone in the League knows _your_ real name"

"They do in fact. As I know thier's."

"Through investigating perhaps" Damian put a hand to his cheek and looked away from his father.

" _Through_ trust. Trust does not come easy but when it comes son, everything becomes easier."

" I fail to see how any of this pertains to me. What's this about?"

"Starting today. I'm _trusting_ you with an assignment."

"Whatever it is I will complete it in no time" Damian stated sharply

Bruce gave his an exasperated look " That girl you found is going to be joining you at school soon an-"

"Are you mad?"

"Tim and Barbra tried looking into things and they found no record of her. No missing child report that matches her description. No reward. Nothing. Then according to Barbara and Commissioner Gordon she claims that she doesn't remember anything"

"And you people are sending her to school?"

"She needs normalcy."

"She needs therapy is more like it"

"She already has that and in a few weeks she'll start school and she will be going to Gotham Academy on a sponsorship by me. There you will keep a close eye on her, Tim believes there's something strange about her."

"So Drakes paranoia is enough to send me on a wild goose chase"

"Damian" his father stated sharply. Damian suggested he may have crossed a line.

"It will be done. Is that all."

"Yes."

"I will….. take my leave then." He began walking towards the door before he reached for the door.

"I have faith in you Damian, never forget that."

Damian nodded his head and walked out of the office. He made his way to the kitchen where he found Tim on his laptop and Jason chewing on an apple, scrolling through his phone. Damian greeted them with a nod then made his way to the refrigerator and began looking through it.

He heard Todd open his mouth "So you got the mission debriefing".

"You guys knew about it"

Tim didn't look up from the laptop "'course we did. We're the ones that agreed to let you go."

"Excuse me?"

"We all think your ready for your first _official_ solo mission. 'Cause those trips you take on your own plus the ones with Jon, Maya and Beacon don't count".

"Even Cass and Alfred think you're ready" Jason pitched in.

Damian was shocked, he didn't show it though. They actually believed in time to do this.

"And Grayson?"

"Was the first person to assign you the job" Tim replied

"Don't fail us Baby Bat. We….. Bats.. have reputation to uphold" Jason said

"You're one to talk" Tim said as he took a sip from his mug

"Shut it Timber. I do good work, not like either of you can infiltrate a crime gang. I would pay good money to see that shit." Jason put his arms behind his head.

"I won't fail" Damian smirked "Unlike you two I have actual skill"

Damian settled for an apple and walked out of the kitchen leaving his brothers to argue among themselves. He knew many things for a boy his age. However all he knew in this moment was that he would not fail.

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